hierarchical

American  

[hahy-uh-rahr-ki-kuhl, hahy-rahr-] / ˌhaɪ əˈrɑr kɪ kəl, haɪˈrɑr- /

Also hierarchic

adjective

1. of, belonging to, or characteristic of a hierarchy.

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Other Word Forms

• antihierarchic adjective
• antihierarchical adjective
• antihierarchically adverb
• hierarchically adverb
• nonhierarchic adjective
• nonhierarchical adjective
• nonhierarchically adverb

Etymology

Origin of hierarchical

1425–75; late Middle English. See hierarch, -ical

Explanation

If something is hierarchical it has clear levels of power and importance, such as a hierarchical corporation that has the boss at the top, or the hierarchical social order of junior high school popularity. It's lonely at the top. That pretty much sums up hierarchical, pronounced "high-eh-RAR-ki-cal." In a hierarchical structure, people or groups are arranged according to ability or status. It helps to think of a triangle, with the leader at the highest point, layers of managers under him or her, and at the base, or widest part, the masses of workers who make up the largest part of the organization.

Example Sentences

These include word order preferences, such as whether verbs come before or after objects, and hierarchical structures, such as how grammatical relationships are marked within sentences.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

To Trump, who has rigidly hierarchical notions of gender, that probably seems emasculating.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026

"However, there is no pressing need for immediate interim relief at this stage, given that some 300 officers and staff have already declared their involvement in Masonic and other hierarchical associations."

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

This is how leadership always works in practice, even in organizations less hierarchical than the military.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

Scholars deduced that the Sungir mammoth-hunters lived in a hierarchical society, and that the dead man was perhaps the leader of a band or of an entire tribe comprising several bands.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari